From choppack in his similar post, “College will feel a little weird after that I imagine.” Of course I’m keeping up with the Canadians too, and they have a couple of 16 year olds on the women’s team who helped them to a Bronze in the Women’s 4×100 free, their first medal in that event in 40 years. And one of those 16 y.o. women, Penny Oleksiak, got a Silver in the 100 fly. Good stuff. I can imagine that high school will be a little different for them. Canada has been working hard to shed the “just happy to be here” mentality over the last decade or so, and the results are showing.

Yea – it’s hard to beat the excitement of the short relays for big events. As someone a former mediocre swim team member and current solid triathlon swimmer, I geek out on the swimming. And when I swam – the relays were the most intense event and were my favorite.

I was nervous for Held last night. The young man handled the moment very well and I thought his post-race comments were very telling. (“I said to myself it’s just another 100 meter delay.”)

The mental makeup of these successful Olympians is just as important as the physical attributes.

I read an idea I like: in the events like swimming, the top lane should have an average swimmer (like a decent triathlete would be), just as a point of reference to how truly amazing these athletes are by comparison.

I swim regularly, which has helped me become a strong swimmer. But I’m mostly self-taught without proper mechanics, so I’m blown away by even decent-trained swimmers.

Here’s something really interesting, a comparison on a segment called The Equalizer, part of The Nature of Things on Canadian TV. They pitted a virtual Mark Spitz swimming his WR pace against Paul Biedermann , the current WR holder who swam a full ten seconds faster than Spitz’s time. Beidermann wore the suit that is not outlawed when he set the record. In the comparison, he wore a Speedo like the one Mark wore. The result? Spitz won.

Cow – it was cool watching the us dominate that. Happy for the “old” guy.

The event I was on the edge of my seat was the women’s 100 M backstroke. I have lived in Winston for last 20 years so I was pulling for Baker pretty hard. My dog hasn’t seen me yell this much at the TV in a while (in a good way.)

The women’s breaststroke was awesome too.

Cow – you have some good bloodlines… explains some things. I have some decent ones on one side of the fam, but nothing Olympian.

Lrm – my swim is about as good as it can get for a 46 year old who spends 30 minutes a week in the water. I finish in the top 3rd or better of the water in pretty much every race I enter. It’s not a weakness – which separates me from a lot of triathletes.

Plywood – interesting info on Spitz. What I that same dude was covered in hair like he was?

Chop, the hardest part of a triathlon (for me, anyway) is that all the pool training conditions you for the swim, but the pool training doesn’t prepare you at all for the chaos of an open water ocean swim.

My first race at Oak Island, I wasn’t even past the breakers and I’d been kicked in the face, pushed under, swallowed seawater and been stung by several jelly fish — what the hell did I get myself into? But once you calm that initial panic, find a rhythm and then finally hit the beach, you’re hooked.

Granted, I have enjoyed the results in the pool in Rio, but there is something about Olympic swimming that makes me want to watch even if the US isn’t dominating. Could be Spitz in ’72 (family even made a trek to the pool in Munich while were there years ago) or a distinct appreciation of these athletes as I am one of the least buoyant people I know.

Even tried to take up swimming again last year, but so disheartening to watch people glide through the pool with a random stroke here and there while I am flurry of activity just to prevent drowning. Yeah, I tried the flippers and all of the other gadgets they had, but eventually gave it up for running and biking.

Lrm – that’s why in those open water swim I try to get either on the far inside or outside at the start…then I try to work my way out of the herd.

Also, if the bowies are to my right I will lift my head totally out of the water (since I typically breathe left side.) Those things have helped me avoid kicks in a lot of the swims I have been in. …but also have been very lucky too. (Knocking on wood.)

And cowdog, since you brought up the field hockeyians, I will just say that at least for a couple of nights, I would be willing to comfort the Russian swimmer accused of juicing. After all, she has already shown that she’s loose with society’s expectations.

I will just say that at least for a couple of nights, I would be willing to comfort the Russian swimmer accused of juicing. After all, she has already shown that she’s loose with society’s expectations.

Chop, I CANNOT imagine what you’re implying. Would you be testing her yourself, possibly with probes, to determine if she was using banned substances?